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Los Angeles Kings right wing Justin Williams, right, celebrates his overtime goal as New York Rangers left wing Benoit Pouliot looks on in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
(Jae C. Hong | The Associated Press)

The New York Rangers' had the Los Angeles Kings wobbling on their skates early in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night.

Visiting New York jumped to a quick 2-0 lead to quiet the home revelers and seemed poised to swipe the opener and erase the Kings' home ice advantage. But the comeback Kings rallied to tie the game and then win it in overtime on a score by Justin Williams.

Here's a sampling of the aftermath reactions:

The most satisfying thing for the Los Angeles Kings probably isn't that they won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, but that they won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final playing almost as badly as they did when they lost 7-2 to the San Jose Sharks back in Game 2 of the first round. These Kings have so much more to give and they still managed to strike first in the final. That is not good news for the plucky New York Rangers. This was the game where they had an opportunity to make an emphatic statement and take advantage of a Kings team that had been through three draining Game 7s. And they didn't do it. If the Rangers can't take advantage of everything the Kings have been through to get here their chances of winning this series decrease exponentially. — Ken Campbell, The Hockey News

(Drew) Doughty was very much like the Kings in what ended as a 3-2 overtime win at Staples Center: He started out slow and made a big miscue but got stronger as the game progressed and turned in another stunning goal that shows why many think he is the best defenseman in the NHL. — Curtis Zupke, NHL.com

Henrik Lundqvist had waited nine years for his first crack at playing for the Stanley Cup. In the grand scheme of things, having to wait a few more days for his first victory in the finals isn't the end of the world. But oh, how close Lundqvist came to getting that victory here in Wednesday's Game 1. Oh, how the Rangers' franchise goaltender did whatever he could so that the first one would not be delayed for even a second, let alone to Saturday's Game 2. Oh, how this must have hurt. Or not. — Larry Brooks, The New York Post

Who wants to miss Justin Williams play on this stage? The bigger the game, the more the 32-year-old native of Cobourg, Ontario, comes to play. Just like Wednesday night, staring down Henrik Lundqvist mano-a-mano in overtime, beating the New York Rangers superstar with a perfect, sizzling wrist shot high on the blocker side. Who else indeed but Williams to score to give the Kings a 3-2 OT win in the Stanley Cup opener?

"You know all about him. He's a special player," said Kings teammate Kyle Clifford. "With this group, we've always known he's Captain Clutch. It's special to share a locker room with him.'' — Pierre LeBrun, ESPN.com